Various types of fixtures and holders for lamps have been proposed; if the light source is to be a fluorescent lamp, it is necessary to make provisions to place and electrically connect accessory equipment, such as starters, ballasts, and/or electronic control apparatus, for example apparatus which changes the frequency of operation of the power supplied to the lamp.
Only few types of lamp fixtures for folded, compact, single-ended fluorescent lamps have been made available. Table lamps have been proposed which include a narrow housing for the lamp, in which the electrical terminals such as sockets, connections and switches are enclosed. The lamp is positioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The housing itself is connected by a carrier arm, for example a goose-neck, with a base which is sufficiently heavy to provide for stability. The accessory equipment used to start the lamp is located within the base, and the actual operating energy is supplied from the accessory equipment through the goose-neck to the lamp.
It has also been proposed to locate electrical components in a lamp housing--see, for example, German Patent Disclosure Document DE-OS No. 28 53 854, to which European Patent No. 12,234 corresponds. As described in this document, a metallic carrier structure is used which has sockets at its facing ends, connected to electrical connection lines. Accessory apparatus is located within the outline of the carrier structure. Electrical insulation is provided all around for the accessory apparatus in order to meet safety requirements and to insulate the electrical equipment from the metallic carrier.
In another type of light fixture, a table lamp has been proposed in which the housing for the light fixture is connected with a clamping element by a carrier arm. The clamping element is arranged to clamp the carrier arm, for example, to a table, shelf surface, or the like. The accessory equipment is located in a separate housing element.